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Sophy Gray Churches

Sophy Gray or Sophia Gray (5 January 1814 - 27 April 1871), was a Diocesan administrator, artist, architect, horsewoman and the wife of Cape Town bishop Robert Gray. Born 5 January 1814 at Easington in Yorkshire, the 5th daughter of county squire Richard Wharton Myddleton of Durham and Yorkshire, she died at Bishopscourt, Cape Town on 27 April 1871 and was buried in the graveyard of St Saviour's in Claremont. E Hermitage Day wrote "the constant companion of (Robert Gray's) travels, the untiring amanuensis and accountant, the skilful designer of churches, the brightness and stay of his home life at Bishopscourt."

Sophy and Robert came to Cape Town, South Africa in 1847 to establish a new colonial diocese, new churches and schools. Sophy had brought along architectural plans of churches that could be adapted to design churches for the new Anglican parishes that were to be established. Between 1848 and 1880 Sophy designed 40 churches in South Africa.

Visiting Sophy Gray Churches:

My husband and I found our first Sophy Gray church by chance while walking around in Caledon in December 2011. While visiting the All Saints Church in Somerset East we learned more about Sophy Gray and her churches. Therealso is a Shophy Gray church in both of our home towns, George and Mossel Bay.

We want to try visit all of these churches.We don’t know if all of them still exists and how many alternations were made but I will keep you updated as we learn more.

Here is a list of all Sophy's churches with the year they were built and when we visited them:

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About Me

I am a accountant and live in Mossel Bay in the Western Cape of South Africa. This blog is about traveling in South Africa. Some of our favourite places to visit is old churches and National Heritage Sites.

All the photographs and articles on this site are the property of Lu-Gerda de Klerk or Hardus de Klerk, unless otherwise stated, and may not be used, copied, transmitted, or stored without our permission.